The Asia Cup 2023 is just a few days away and the lovers of the game can’t wait for the extravagant event, to be held in Pakistan & Sri Lanka. All eyes will be on the highly-electrifying clash between India and Pakistan which will take place in Pallekele on September 2. It’s the first encounter between the arch-rivals since they locked horns in the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. If both sides manage to qualify for the Super 4s, then the fans would witness another India vs Pakistan game before the tournament finale.
The upcoming encounter will also see an epic clash between the two most lethal bowling attacks in Asia. India have received a massive boost with the return of Jasprit Bumrah after an injury layoff. The right-arm quick marks his comeback with the Ireland T20Is, starting Friday. The other two pacers in India’s arsenal are Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj who will return to action after being rested for the white-ball series against West Indies.
However, Pakistan’s Abdullah Shafique isn’t worried about facing the Indian pace attack in the forthcoming tourney. Speaking with reporters, the young batter said he faces the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah in the nets which makes him confident against any other bowler in the world.
During a media interaction, a reporter asked, “You face Haris, Naseem, Shaheen in the nets all the time during practice sessions. Do you find it easy when you take on the opposition bowlers then? Particularly against India as it seems like Jasprit Bumrah is also coming back for Asia Cup.”
Shafique answered, “Our bowling attack is pretty good, in fact, the best in the world. We face them (Shaheen, Haris, Naseem) in the nets… we face their challenging spells. And that gives us a lot of confidence and helps in our preparation. If we are playing well against them, we are obviously more confident against opponent bowlers.”
After making his debut in 2020, Shafique has played only 3 ODIs and 6 T20Is for Pakistan and has never faced India as the two teams only play each other in multi-nation events.
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